Culinary Savvyhttp://culinarysavvy.com
Adventures and Wisdom from my KitchenTue, 20 Jan 2015 21:03:01 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Caramel Apple-Orange Beer Cakehttp://culinarysavvy.com/2015/01/19/caramel-apple-orange-beer-cake/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2015/01/19/caramel-apple-orange-beer-cake/#commentsMon, 19 Jan 2015 19:26:35 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=1201Our Frog Hollow CSA box is overflowing with citrus and apples so a new recipe was needed to make use of all the lovely fruit. I found the Beeroness’ recipe for Caramel Apple Brown Ale Cake and adapted it by adding orange zest. The zest added a bit more acidity and very subtle citrus notes. Enjoy!

Caramel Apple-Orange Beer Cake

2015-01-19 12:19:00

Serves 12

This easy to follow Caramel Apple-Orange Beer Cake recipe makes great use of dark winter beer and tart apples.

Add the butter, white sugar and brown ale to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Allow to boil without stirring until dark amber color, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cream, allow to cool until the bubbling stops.

Arrange the apples slices in a cake pan or deep dish pie pan that has been well greased.

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2015/01/19/caramel-apple-orange-beer-cake/feed/2Strawberry Daiquiri Mini Cupcakeshttp://culinarysavvy.com/2012/07/12/strawberry-daiquiri-mini-cupcakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2012/07/12/strawberry-daiquiri-mini-cupcakes/#commentsThu, 12 Jul 2012 18:28:06 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=1054A big thanks to Bel for the recipe for these strawberry daiquiri cupcakes. I took a bit of a break from blogging but am back with a recipe for a cake that I transformed into mini cupcakes. So delicious!

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until done (a toothpick will come out clean). Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, combine sugar, strawberry juice, strawberry jam, egg whites and corn syrup in top of a double broiler, whisking until sugar dissolves (feel for grittiness between your fingers).

Remove from heat and beat until soft peaks form. Add rum and food coloring. Beat for 3 more minutes, or until piping consistency is reached (frosting will be light and fluffy).

Pipe frosting onto mini cupcakes (I use a #6 tip).

Culinary Savvy http://culinarysavvy.com/

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2012/07/12/strawberry-daiquiri-mini-cupcakes/feed/0Nougat de Montélimarhttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/12/22/nougat-montelimar/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/12/22/nougat-montelimar/#commentsThu, 22 Dec 2011 22:23:30 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=1015I used to be excited by the snap and sweetness of a Nestle Crunch bar until I started sneaking some of my mom and dad’s sweet tooth fixes. My mom would take out her black 70+ percent Valrhona chocolate bar

from the cupboard at the end of dinner and measure off one square, and slowly savor it with her last sip of wine. Having eaten the perfect amount, the chocolate bar would be rewrapped and slipped back into the top of my cupboard. My dad, considering chocolate abhorrent — according to him, genetics allow him to taste something awful that the rest of us can’t — would finish his meal with cheese, nougat montelimar or loukoumi. The nougat montelimar was so unusual to me (chewy, white, nut and orange peel laden, with a slight honey flavor) and a mystery how to make. As I got older, and acquired a taste for all those treats my parents loved, I learned how to make quite a few of them in culinary school. As follows is my recipe for nougat montelimar developed over the years and started in culinary school.

Nougat de Montélimar

2015-01-18 12:09:14

My recipe for Nougat de Montélimar was developed over the years and started in culinary school. The recipe for Nougat Montelimar was first developed in the 18th century in Southern France.

Spread pistachios, almonds and orange peel on a sheet pan. Reserve largest metal bowl you own. Combine water, 600 g sugar and heavy glucose in a medium pan and heat on high, not stirring.

When the sugar syrup reaches 240°F (don’t stop heating!), whip egg whites and 100 g sugar until it forms soft peaks. Meanwhile, heat honey on high until it reaches 248°F. Place nuts and orange peel as well as large metal bowl in the oven to heat for about 5 minutes. Continue heating the sugar syrup until it reaches 310°F. Whip egg whites while adding 248°F honey by pouring it against the side of the bowl. Continue whipping and add 310°F sugar syrup. Whip for 3 more minutes.

Remove nuts and orange peel from oven and pour into the heated large bowl. Pour nougat into nuts and orange peel and mix with wooden spoon.

Lay out two pieces of wafer paper next to each other on half sheet pan using tiny bits of nougat to stick the wafer paper to the pan. Spread 1/4 of nougat on each piece of paper and top with another piece of wafer paper and slowly press down working from the inside out until 1/2 an inch thick. Repeat with second sheet pan.

Cool one hour and then cut into squares with long serrated knife. I recommend frequently washing off the knife with very hot water and wiping clean to make cutting easier.

By Elena Remus

Culinary Savvy http://culinarysavvy.com/

Nougat Montelimar
]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/12/22/nougat-montelimar/feed/11Pumpkin Cupcakeshttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/10/24/pumpkin-cupcakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/10/24/pumpkin-cupcakes/#commentsMon, 24 Oct 2011 17:01:42 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=966With the beautiful weather in San Francisco this September and October, I’d forgotten about fall baking. The canned pumpkin and squash are overflowing their shelves and containers at Safeway, while I’ve been day-tripping to the coast and studying for my digital marketing masters. Luckily, our friend had an open house and there was no reason for me not to explore pumpkin recipes. Especially since David had already eaten all the peach ice cream.

Sometimes I’m asked how I know where to look for particular recipes. First, there is the wall of cookbooks I’ve hoarded, and then there’s the 20 some odd years of experience of knowing who’s good at what. Ina Garten makes fabulous cupcake recipes so she was my first google search for “pumpkin cupcakes”. Her cake recipe looked great but her frosting recipe called for maple syrup flavoring. Hmm, not at Safeway! So I’ve paired her pumpkin cupcakes with a maple cream cheese frosting with just a hint of maple syrup.

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/10/24/pumpkin-cupcakes/feed/8Capturing Great Stone Fruithttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/09/19/capturing-great-stone-fruit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/09/19/capturing-great-stone-fruit/#commentsMon, 19 Sep 2011 17:53:42 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=922Friends have asked me whether I’m still blogging lately and there are two-fold reasons why I’ve been on a brief hiatus. One has been that I’ve been working on my food photography and realize my taste has surpassed my abilities.That is, I can easily see when I’ve taken a bad photograph and am only now learning how to improve. I had the good fortune to attend a food photography workshop given by Danielle Tsi. In the course of the workshop she showed us some of her early food photography from only 2009 that was admittedly not good and how much she’s improved in a few years. I have hope now! What I realized is that while I’ve been playing with artificial lighting, there’s so much good natural lighting around me, even in a high rise with tinted window! Yes, I have to use a few tools like reflectors and diffusers, but it’s much easier than playing with photography lights. I also found that food styling is more than just getting the right scoop of ice cream with a drip down the bowl, but also having the colorful props that set off your food. Originally I wasn’t using any special dishes or textiles and when I started adding them in I was choosing ones that were drawing attention away from the food. The irony of my situation now is that I care more about the photograph than what I’m actually cooking and/or baking! There are some photos that I took during my food photography class in the gallery below. Mastery of a new art is quite addicting . . .

Secondly, stone fruit this season has been inconsistent. I’ve only had a few good frog hollow peaches and some great apricots that I picked up in Lodi but Safeway and Whole Foods have been offering the most bland peaches and nectarines. When I’m asked what my favorite thing to make is (which is like choosing between my children) I usually answer peach pie so I’m understandably disappointed this year. Also, the peach ice cream above was lacking in peachy flavor debatably due to the peaches or maybe the recipe. I’d love your explanations or feedback regarding this year’s crop!

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]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/09/19/capturing-great-stone-fruit/feed/5Ricotta Tart with Amaretti Crust and Plum & Brandy Compotehttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/18/ricotta-tart-with-amaretti-crust-and-plum-brandy-compote/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/18/ricotta-tart-with-amaretti-crust-and-plum-brandy-compote/#commentsThu, 18 Aug 2011 15:48:28 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=902When I create my own recipe, I get a little too elaborate with the name but I feel like a lot of thought went into each component and therefore should be recognized. This tart is honestly a combination of what I had in my apartment: ricotta, homemade amaretti cookies, and plums from my CSA Box. Note: Please use high quality ricotta and not grocery store. Smitten Kitchen has a great post on how to make your own. Double the recipe and you have the perfect amount to make this tart.

Meanwhile, add ricotta eggs, sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt to the bowl of a mixer and combine using paddle attachment (you can also do this by hand). Pour ricotta mixture into pre-baked tart shell, smooth with a spatula and bake for 25 minutes or until center no longer jiggles.

Cook jam and brandy in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until reduced to thick syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and place plums cut-side down in syrup. Return skillet to medium heat and cook until plums shed their juices and thick syrup is again formed, about 5 minutes, shaking pan to prevent plums from sticking.

Serve plums over or to the side of cooled ricotta tart. Stored in the refrigerator, tart can be eaten for up to two to three days.

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/18/ricotta-tart-with-amaretti-crust-and-plum-brandy-compote/feed/0Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frostinghttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/16/meatloaf-cupcakes-with-mashed-potato-frosting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/16/meatloaf-cupcakes-with-mashed-potato-frosting/#commentsTue, 16 Aug 2011 18:34:47 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=887Writing a food blog that focuses on desserts is not too kind on the thighs! Recently, not only am I creating or finding more great and light savory recipes, I’m looking for ones that are fun to photograph. I’m now wielding a DSLR and creating semi-elaborate lighting setups to capture my creations in the best light. In order to cross you over into savory for a while, I’ll trick your eye into thinking that sweets are for supper. This clever recipe for Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting is from Gina’s Skinny Recipes. The ketchup and zucchini in this recipe really made these little guys moist, fruity, and more airy than the stereotypical meatloaf. Love!
]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/16/meatloaf-cupcakes-with-mashed-potato-frosting/feed/1Chocolate, Ricotta and Pine Nut Tarthttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/05/chocolate-ricotta-pinenut-tart/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/05/chocolate-ricotta-pinenut-tart/#commentsFri, 05 Aug 2011 18:02:17 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=859First of all, you may have noticed that I’m experimenting with a larger photo format for my blog. I’ve been learning from Craig Lee who does freelance food photography for the SF Chronicle and NY Times and wanted to capture some of my food a little bit better and showcase it more. A big thanks to Tom Remus for the DSLR loan!

I’m going to pre-date a post on how I made the ricotta for this tart – I avoid supermarket ricotta like the plague or fat free mayonnaise. Regardless, I had a lot of fresh ricotta to use and no presentable way to make my friends and family eat it. I could take it around in tupperware and whip out some bread, ricotta and honey but I didn’t see that happening. Giada De Laurentiis had a recipe for a Chocolate-Ricotta Pie that looked pretty spectacular. Mix, bake and cool and presto! All in all it turned out perfectly – rich, buttery, chocolatey and slightly nutty. I didn’t alter the recipe one bit (except for accidentally making it in a 9-inch tart pan instead of 11-inch) but I did change the name to more accurately reflect what it is.

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/08/05/chocolate-ricotta-pinenut-tart/feed/1Plum Galettehttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/07/21/plum-galette/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/07/21/plum-galette/#commentsThu, 21 Jul 2011 15:18:23 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=839My first week of receiving a Farm Fresh to You CSA Fruit Box was like Christmas. Then I realized the fruit was still hard — it’s like unwrapping an remote control car that isn’t charged. Patience! I also was hoping that there was a box where I’d consistently get enough quantity of one or two kinds of fruit so I could bake with them (recommendations?). I received donut peaches, yellow peaches, two different varieties of plums, pluots, mangos, a cantaloupe and a grapefruit. The yellow peaches were bad, and the cantaloupe was meh, everything else was good. Personally, I’d rather get less variety of high quality fruit than more variety of variable quality fruit. Luckily and apparently, there is a plum bonanza going on right now because I received 8 red and 2 black plums.

I’ve been craving peach pie and I haven’t had one good peach yet this season. Maybe I really just wanted fruit flavored pie crust. Crust + Limited Quantity of Plums = Plum Galette. This is a beautiful very European free-form pastry that I first saw made in college when my French friend wanted an apple dessert (Side note: she thought Americans were annoying to always add cinnamon to apples in desserts. Food for thought). Martha Stewart has an attractive recipe for a Plum Galette that I’ve adapted using my pie crust recipe and some slight alterations. Her recipe had slightly too little sugar and not enough almond flavor.

]]>http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/07/21/plum-galette/feed/0Homemade Ricottahttp://culinarysavvy.com/2011/07/19/homemade-ricotta/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss
http://culinarysavvy.com/2011/07/19/homemade-ricotta/#commentsTue, 19 Jul 2011 17:27:03 +0000http://culinarysavvy.com/?p=823I’ve paid an obscene amount of money for good ricotta from Bellwether Farms, which I discovered in Point Reyes. Could I make my own and save some dough? My friend Ken suggested Salt & Fat’s recipe (note: This link no longer works. Please use the better recipe on Steamy Kitchen) and low and behold, it worked very well – the milk curdled and the cheese drained dry in cheese cloth. I used raw milk and cream from Rainbow Grocery to enhance the flavor and while that turned out well, the texture was disappointing – a little to dry and crumbly for my taste. This was not professionally made ricotta. To be a little less harsh however, it was still good cheese. I topped bread with the ricotta, honey, and sliced almonds as well as used it in an arugula and prosciutto calzone. Both were quite delicious and I’m giving you my recipe (adapted from Gourmet) for the latter. Whether you use your own or buy good quality ricotta, it’s a great feature for the cheese.

Cook garlic in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add arugula and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a sieve and press hard on arugula to squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, then coarsely chop.

Stir together ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, yolk, salt, and pepper until blended, then stir in arugula and pine nuts.

Halve dough, then roll out each piece into a large round with a rolling pin. In one half of round, spread half of cheese filling, then top with half of prosciutto strips. Fold dough in half to enclose filling and form a semicircle. Press edges together to seal. Beginning at 1 end and working toward the other, stretch sealed edge outward, pinching and rolling edge to form a rope. Transfer to baking sheet. Make one more calzone in same manner, transferring to baking sheet.